Man arrested after alleged knife-point robbery

GREENFIELD — A local man faces armed robbery and heroin charges after allegedly holding a woman at knife point and taking her wallet and cigarettes.

Jacque Coleman, 25, of Greenfield pleaded innocent to charges of armed robbery, possession of heroin, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery, in Greenfield District Court Wednesday.

He was arrested early Wednesday morning after a local woman reported that he jumped out of the bushes on the southernmost block of Davis Street around midnight, ran up behind her and held a knife to her throat, demanding her wallet, according to a report filed by Sgt. James Rode.

The victim tried to run away, but Coleman struck her in the face, knocked her to the ground and again put the knife to her throat, she told Rode.

He took her wallet, containing debit and credit cards and $130 cash, and a Newport pack with three cigarettes, Rode wrote.

Based on the victim’s description of the robber and Rode’s familiarity with Coleman, police quickly developed a suspect. Officers went to 75 School St., where Coleman was reportedly staying with his girlfriend, wrote Rode. Court documents, however, list Coleman’s address as 60 Wells St., which is a homeless shelter.

Another resident answered the door at the School Street apartment, and told police she was the only one in the apartment, but officers saw Coleman standing in the kitchen and asked him to come outside to talk, according to Rode.

Coleman told police he had been home at the time of the robbery.

While police interviewed Coleman, officer Emily Rowell drove to the scene with the victim, who pointed Coleman out.

“I know that’s him,” she said, according to a report by officer Jay Butynski. “It sounds bad, but I’d never forget that nose.”

Shortly afterward, a resident of the apartment brought out a pair of pants and said they belonged to “Schmo,” a known alias for Coleman, wrote Rode.

In the pockets, they found 17 packets of heroin wrapped in two $1 bills, and another $145 in cash, and Coleman admitted that the money and heroin were his, wrote Rode.

Colemen was held on $5,000 cash bail or $50,000 surety after his arraignment. He is set to return to court April 9.

You can reach David Rainville at: drainville@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 279

In 2013, Franklin County residents filled prescriptions for 2,877,031 doses of highly abusable schedule two opioids, a classification including oxycodone, the principal ingredient in the tradename compounds Percocet …
0